The standoff on the field onlysted for a few seconds before the soldiers of the Antean Empire made their move.


    In just a brief moment, many yers found themselves entangled inbat.


    These yers, who had all passed the first stage of the Empire''s trials, were quite capable. However, they were now up against the most elite troops of the Antean Empire.


    All the soldiers were of second-ss strength. Although their individualbat abilities were inferior to many of the yers present, they could at least hold their own for a few moves and avoid being instantly defeated.


    Moreover, the soldiers had proficientbat skills and worked seamlessly together, creating an extremely oppressive force.


    In a corner of the banquet hall, Sterl, who was initially hoping for some peace and quiet, witnessed the scene firsthand. He saw an elderly yer who had previously left a strong impression on him. This yer had once demonstrated a burst of power that even made Sterl marvel.


    Facing thebined assault of numerous soldiers, the elderly yer first unleashed several explosivebos, effortlessly piercing the throats of two soldiers and killing them. It looked quite dashing and impressive.


    Then…


    The elderly yer was surrounded by six soldiers from the Antean Empire, with no room to evade. The soldiers all swung their spears in unison, brutally killing the yer.


    Many other yers around were also in dire straits. Each of them had considerable burst capabilities, ensuring that whenever they used a skill, at least one soldier would be unfortunate enough to fall.


    Yet, the elite warriors of the Antean Empire seemed utterly unfeeling. Even as they watched theirrades die tragically, they continued to fight with unwavering determination. They were even able to simultaneously raise their shields to block the yers'' attacks and then thrust their standardized spears in unison.


    The yers'' counterattacks did manage to take down enemies, and just before their deaths, they would hear a very pleasing system notification.


    [You have killed a soldier of the Antean Empire''s Death Legion, gaining 21,141 experience points.]


    [You have earned 200 reputation points with the Divine Mountain Empire.]


    The system informed them that they had received substantial rewards, both in experience points and a significant increase in reputation with the Divine Mountain Empire.


    Under normal circumstances, the yers would be ecstatic. Killing just one soldier yielded such high rewards.If they could continue this spree, wouldn''t they be unstoppable?


    Unfortunately, in this moment, the yers had no chance to rejoice after killing a soldier. More often than not, they were quickly surrounded and beaten to death by the soldiers within seconds!


    On the NPC side, things weren''t much better.


    General Constantine had managed to fend off numerous NPCs attempting to assassinate the Eldest Prince.


    The Eldest Princehimself was reveling in the situation. "Weren''t you all so arrogant just a moment ago?"


    "Now die for me!"


    "Send my dear brothers on their way!"


    "And then those two…"


    the Eldest Princenced in the direction of Sterl and Faye, his face breaking into a malicious grin.


    He had hoped to recruit these two talents, but today''s events left no room for any loose ends. Everyone present had to die!


    Otherwise, if the news got out, the Eldest Princewould be branded a traitor, and any hopes of ascending the throne would be utterly dashed.


    Following the Eldest Prince''s orders, the soldiers and young generals of the Antic Empire responded swiftly and favorably. They quickly formed their battle formations and then charged into the crowd, initiating a massacre.


    Among the NPCs of the Divine Mountain Empire, there were a few third sspowerhouses. However, in theory, the consciousness space was the safest ce within the Divine Mountain Empire. This was a ce with no entrances at all.


    If it weren''t for the Eldest Princeacting as a mole, it would have been impossible for the people of the Antic Empire to infiltrate, no matter how meticulously they nned.


    Therefore, most of the NPCs from the Divine Mountain Empire present in the consciousness space were nonbatant officials with minimal defensive escorts.


    Theirbat capabilities were far inferior to themanders of the Antean Empire''s junior officers.


    Very quickly, the people of the Divine Mountain Empire were being ughtered mercilessly. The few military officials from the Divine Mountain Empire were personally singled out and killed by the elite general, Constantine.


    Constantine wielded crimson mes, furiously swinging his fists. Every strike resulted in a kill! The military officials of the Divine Mountain Empire were pierced through one by one, dying with anguished screams.


    Among the remaining NPCs, the Fourth Prince was under heavy attack, surrounded by several soldiers.


    The Fourth Prince had decentbat abilities, wielding a silver sword to fend off the soldiers'' attacks. However, he was still young and only of second-ss strength...


    Even against ordinary soldiers, the Fourth Prince struggled, his situation bing increasingly perilous. If a few more soldiers targeted him, he would be undoubtedly doomed.


    At this moment, the Fourth Prince instinctively looked towards a person in the corner of the banquet hall. It was none other than David, who had previously outshone everyone to take the top spot in this trial.


    "David, can you create another miracle?" The Fourth Prince, in his desperation, was clutching at straws, hoping for a miracle from a second-ss yer instead of the numerous third ssNPCs present.


    David had consistently surprised him, making the Fourth Prince instinctively feel that perhaps David had a trump card up his sleeve!


    Besides, David had already demonstratedbat prowess far beyond that of an ordinary third ssyer. If anyone could stop Constantine, it would likely be him!


    As for Faye, she barely possessed thebat capabilities of a third sswarrior. Moreover, those present were the elite of the Antic Empire. Faye, who could suppress an ordinary third ssopponent, would likely only be able to hold her own against them. It would be quite an achievement for her to just protect herself and avoid any mishaps.


    How could the Fourth Prince rely on that?


    The Fourth Prince''s subtle maneuvers certainly did not escape the notice of those present.


    Constantine showed a hint of interest. He had learned from the Eldest Prince''s intelligence agents that a highly talented yer had emerged in the consciousness space''s tournament, a secondss yerparable to some third sspowerhouses!


    "Excellent." Constantine couldn''t help but reveal a bloodthirsty smile. His greatest pleasure was crushing these so-called geniuses bit by bit! Watching these proud individuals show fear and humility, their dignity shattered as they begged for their lives...


    The thought made Constantine''s face flush slightly, his body trembling. He had endured countless hardships to be a general, all because of hisck of innate talent and potential.


    Now that Constantine had power, he intended to repay the humiliation he had suffered in front of those geniuses, multiplied many times over!


    The Eldest Princemocked further, "Are you still counting on him?"


    "David is already overwhelmed. Even if he''s strong, what can he do? Facing so many soldiers, he''s bound to die!"


    "This time, your capable subordinate won''t be able to do anything. He''s just going to die miserably!"


    Following the Eldest Prince''s words, the Fourth Prince looked around, his face showing a look of despair, just as his older brother had said—


    David was surrounded by several soldiers, looking restrained and without the previous domineering aura that had allowed him to annihte everything with his Celestial Stars. Instead, he seemed to be retreating under pressure, giving the impression of being hunted down.


    Suddenly, the Fourth Prince felt a wave of darkness wash over his eyes. His morale plummeting, and he almost got captured by the soldiers attacking him on the spot.


    "It''s over! David can''t do it either!"


    "Does that mean we''re doomed?"


    "David, weren''t you always so rxed before? You must have a trump card left, right? Are you really just going to be hunted down like this?"


    "What about the NPCs? Is there no hidden powerhouse among them toe to our rescue?"


    The yers also heard the Eldest Prince''s words, and their morale shattered instantly!


    David''s strength was evident to all. Maybe a single Celestial Stars could even take down third sspowerhouses, but now he looked as pathetic as a stray dog…


    ...


    Sterl, on the other hand, was unaware that his less-than-ster performance had caused such a shift in the crowd''s emotions. He was just feeling frustrated because he was surrounded by yers!


    This meant he couldn''t use Celestial Stars, as it would harm the yers unless they were all in his party.


    However, the battle had erupted so quickly that, although Sterl had swiftly sent out party invitations to everyone, many had yet to ept them.


    If he used Celestial Stars now, the soldiers would certainly suffer heavy casualties, but the yers would likely be wiped out too…


    Sterl could only release a few bursts of Ignition me to incinerate and eliminate the soldiers encircling him.


    To his slight surprise, the elite soldiers of the Antic Empire were indeed formidable. The damage from the Ignition me barely managed to kill them, failing to generate any energy threads from the starlight sshes.


    After clearing out the soldiers around him, Sterl took a deep breath and aimed a Celestial Stars at the direction where the NPCs were.


    His reputation with the Divine Mountain Empire had already reached "Revered".So by adjusting his attack mode to faction mode, the NPCs of the Divine Mountain Empire wouldn''t be harmed by his attacks.


    Instantly, a Celestial Stars descended from the sky, and a pale blue warning marker appeared on the ground.


    Sterl hadn''t used Celestial Stars much outside, and apart from the first time, he had always enhanced its range with stardust.


    Therefore, at this moment, neither the Eldest Princenor the people of the Antic Empire had any defenses in ce. They believed that David''s ability to summon meteors had a wide range and would inevitably affect their own troops, making them hesitant to use it due to the potential coteral damage.